ASO filing sworn complaint against Alachua mayor

Published: Friday, June 20, 2014 at 5:06 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, June 20, 2014 at 10:07 p.m.

Alachua Mayor Gib Coerper is being accused through a sworn complaint with burglary with a battery, a felony, for confronting a truck driver who was having difficulty turning his rig.

The State Attorney’s Office will review the complaint to determine whether formal charges should be filed.

Alachua County Sheriff’s Sgt. Becky Butscher said the complaint was filed following an investigation done by the Sheriff’s Office so the Alachua Police Department would have no appearance of a conflict of interest.

The truck driver, Timothy Dixon, of Memphis, Tennessee, said Coerper appeared drunk when the incident happened Tuesday night.

Dixon said he was on Peggy Road trying to get to the nearby Dollar General Distribution Center, but his truck was too tall to go under an overpass.

He ended up on Peggy Road because of GPS directions, Dixon said. A local resident was directing Dixon to help turn his truck around when the incident occurred.

He said Coerper drove up, got out of his car and confronted him, saying he was tired of “dumb truck drivers.”

Dixon said Coerper got onto his truck and pushed him. The truck driver said others on the scene told him the man confronting him was the mayor.

Coerper smelled of alcohol, Dixon said, and eventually left the scene.

Dixon said he dropped off his cargo and then called police to file a report.

<p>Alachua Mayor Gib Coerper is being accused through a sworn complaint with burglary with a battery, a felony, for confronting a truck driver who was having difficulty turning his rig.</p><p>The State Attorney's Office will review the complaint to determine whether formal charges should be filed.</p><p>Alachua County Sheriff's Sgt. Becky Butscher said the complaint was filed following an investigation done by the Sheriff's Office so the Alachua Police Department would have no appearance of a conflict of interest.</p><p>The truck driver, Timothy Dixon, of Memphis, Tennessee, said Coerper appeared drunk when the incident happened Tuesday night.</p><p>Dixon said he was on Peggy Road trying to get to the nearby Dollar General Distribution Center, but his truck was too tall to go under an overpass.</p><p>He ended up on Peggy Road because of GPS directions, Dixon said. A local resident was directing Dixon to help turn his truck around when the incident occurred.</p><p>He said Coerper drove up, got out of his car and confronted him, saying he was tired of “dumb truck drivers.”</p><p>Dixon said Coerper got onto his truck and pushed him. The truck driver said others on the scene told him the man confronting him was the mayor.</p><p>Coerper smelled of alcohol, Dixon said, and eventually left the scene.</p><p>Dixon said he dropped off his cargo and then called police to file a report.</p><p>Coerper could not be reached for comment.</p>